In 1994 I was diagnosed with celiac disease, which led me to create Celiac.com in 1995. I created this site for a single purpose: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives. Celiac.com was the first site on the Internet dedicated solely to celiac disease. In 1998 I founded The Gluten-Free Mall, Your Special Diet Superstore!, and I am the co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of Journal of Gluten Sensitivity.

By Scott Adams

Published on 07/26/1996

The following was taken from a lecture
given by Dr. Joseph Murray in October, 1996. It was publ

The following was taken from a lecture
given by Dr. Joseph Murray in October, 1996. It was published
by the Sprue-Nik Press (Published by the Tri-County Celiac Sprue
Support Group, a chapter of CSA/USA, Inc. serving southeastern
Michigan) Volume 5, Number 9, December 1996. Dr. Joseph
Murray, one of the leading USA physicians in the diagnosis of
celiac disease (CD) and dermatitis herpetiformis (DH).
Dr. Murray (murray.joseph@mayo.edu)
of the Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN, is a gastroenterologist who
specializes in treating Celiac disease:

Q: Can you
touch on bone pain?

A: The
most common cause of severe bone pain with untreated celiac disease is osteomalacia,
which is malformation of the bones due to lack of Vitamin D and calcium.
It affects mostly the hips, and sometimes the shoulders and back.
It usually gets better with specific treatment, which includes the
gluten-free diet for celiacs and sometimes includes Vitamin D supplementation
and other interventions.

Another cause
of bone pain is osteoporosis. It can often cause pain in the back,
due to vertebrae which have become shortened and have begun squeezing
the nerves. This condition is very painful and is not going to get
better; once the vertebrae have shortened they are not going to stretch
back up to their original size.

Muscle
pain can also occur, due to Vitamin D deficiency. I have seen
some leg pains as the initial presentation of celiac disease which cleared
up with the gluten-free diet.